WASHINGTON A top U.S. auto safety official said Wednesday regulators will soon decide on a petition filed by General Motors and its self-driving technology unit that seeks permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls.

The petition filed in February 2022 seeks government approval to deploy vehicles annually without steering wheels, mirrors, turn signals or windshield wipers. Acting National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator Ann Carlson said Wednesday the agency "will issue a decision "in the coming weeks."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis)